The Oglethorpe women's basketball team extended their multi-year winning streak to 34 games while grabbing sole possession of first place in the SAA with a 60-56 victory over No. 8 Millsaps at Dorough Field House Saturday evening. The win improved the Stormy Petrels to 7-0 on the season.
The teams traded leads and each saw momentum swing in their favor for long stretches over the course of the game. The contest featured six ties and eight lead changes, with Millsaps leading by as many as seven points and the Petrels by as many as eight.
Oglethorpe outscored the Majors in three of the four quarters, but the visitors used a 17-11 advantage in the second to build a 32-29 lead at halftime and then immediately scored the first four points of the third to push their lead to 36-29. Defense took over for much of the period, but Millsaps maintained their arm's length advantage with 3:10 to go, taking a 40-36 lead. They still led 42-38 with 2:35 left, but the Petrels began to work their way back. Free throws by senior forward Sydni Donovan and sophomore guard Amy Vazquez tied the score 42-42 with a minute remaining in the period. Senior center Savannah LeGate scored with 23 seconds left in the period to give the Petrels the lead back, 44-42, headed into the fourth.
The Petrels led most of the fourth quarter, but they were unable to get any distance between themselves and the visiting Majors. It looked like they might be starting to do so when they took a 54-49 lead with 4:05 remaining. Millsaps responded by going on a 6-0 run to take the lead, 55-54, with 2:18 on the clock. The Major lead proved short-lived, as LeGate hit a free throw on the next possession to tie it back up. LeGate's layup with 1:23 left gave Oglethorpe a 57-55 lead. That basket proved decisive, but the Petrels didn't put the Majors away for good until the final 10 seconds, when Donovan converted on a pair of free throws with just over seven seconds remaining to give Oglethorpe their final points and put the Majors two possessions behind.
LeGate led the Petrels in three categories, scoring 12 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and passing out three assists. Donovan scored 11 points, helped by her 7-of-8 night from the free throw line, and pulled down six rebounds. Freshman guard Rose Dolmovich had an outstanding game off the bench, scoring 11 points and grabbing six boards. Sophomore guard Sarah Plemons added a game-high five steals.
The Petrels won despite a poor shooting night all-around, converting at a 31.7 percent clip from the field and 61.5 percent from the foul line. They also went just 4-for-23 from beyond the arc. They dominated the boards, though, especially in the second half. The Petrels outrebounded the Majors 23-12 on the offensive glass and 46-35 overall. They also forced 24 Millsaps turnovers and got to the free throw line eight more times while making six more foul shots.
The two nationally-ranked opponents will complete their two-game set Saturday afternoon at Dorough Field House. They're scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. from Pinholster Court.